We traveled the country from North to South, trying to find the magic line where the wet and dry seasons reverse and we could finally dry out. As a tourist destination Vietnam is well established, and the long, thin shape of the country tends to funnel everyone along the same … Continue Reading →
It was time for dinner, and though street food and pop-up restaurants were generally our preference, there was one very lively place we had seen around the corner from our hotel. Seating was still outside, but there were uniformed waitstaff, tablecloths, and most importantly it was packed with a lively … Continue Reading →
Tet loomed large. Barely a month after my momentary panic in Thailand, when I suddenly realized that we would be traveling during the Christmas-New Year’s week in Australia’s favorite holiday destination with no advance reservations, it occurred to me to wonder when in the year Tet occurred. What I found … Continue Reading →
I was prepared to love Vietnam. I knew nothing about it, which is a theme of a trip like this, where there’s never time to research a place until you show up. But the snippets I’d seen were written with a percolating enthusiasm that can’t be simulated for the sake … Continue Reading →
After a month in Mongolia, certain things seem normal: walking into pitch-dark restaurants through unlabeled doors; the complete lack of privacy in a place where people sleep in communal tents and the “bathrooms” don’t have walls; sun bleached bones scattered across the ground in every direction; sleeping on wooden boards … Continue Reading →
In fairness, though the West has a more dramatic beauty, Central Mongolia had its own charms (despite the travel inconveniences). I’ll save the stories; for now, enjoy this slideshow as an interlude between our long form tales of life out west.
We needed to get to Olgii, the next province to the north, and our available information said “8-12 hours, depending on the number of breakdowns, in a Russian Jeep packed with a dozen people. Although this is one of the more scenic drives in the country, the Jeeps typically leave … Continue Reading →
All of our available sources of information were unanimous (for once). The LP, the book written by Peace Corps kids, the internet travel sites, and especially the guesthouse tour operators insisted that it is not possible to travel independently in Western Mongolia. “In other parts of the world, like South … Continue Reading →
Our flight out to Western Mongolia (and the tri-corner border with China and Russia, just short of Kazakhstan) leaves in a few hours, so I’ve run out of time to post a real description of all our experiences over the last couple weeks: singing sand dunes, camel milk, horse cheese, … Continue Reading →
Your impression of some cities depends on the time of year you are there (winter in Chicago). In others, it’s the time of day (Nairobi after dark? I’d prefer werewolves). Ulaan Baatar (as with all Mongolian words, the last vowel is silent, despite the Soviet etymology of “Red Hero”) is … Continue Reading →